Crash Kills Raceway Owner

PAINTSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An eastern Kentucky traffic accident has claimed the life of an eastern Kentucky lawyer and racetrack owner who was accused of setting a rival raceway on fire last year.

Michael Osborne of Sitka lost control of his 2001 Harley-Davidson on Kentucky 581 Monday night and was fatally injured. The Johnson County Sheriff's Department reports Osborne's motorcycle slammed into an embankment and then went into a creek. A report says the vehicle landed upright in the water with Osborne still sitting on it, but he was unresponsive.

The 48-year-old Osborne was not wearing a helmet and received severe head injuries. He was pronounced dead at Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center in Paintsville.

Last August, Osborne and his wife, Susan, were accused of setting a fire at Willard Speedway in Carter County. The blaze destroyed a concession stand and a scoring tower.

Commonwealth's Attorney David Flatt says the case against Michael Osborne will be dismissed. He said his office will discuss whether to pursue charges against his wife.

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